Big Picture Big Sound

Ladies First

Recently on Oprah, "Saturday Night Live" alumna Jane Curtin said that the late John Belushi thought women were "fundamentally not funny." Thankfully, dozens of female SNL writers and performers have proved him wrong over the years and some (like Tina Fey) have emerged as comedy heavyweights - at least on TV. I mention this only because the movie industry has, until now, failed to acknowledge the feminine point of view as universally funny. With "Bridesmaids," there's now least one movie comedy that finally captures the wit, humor and bawdiness of women in a way that's hilarious and entertaining regardless of the audience's sex.

Co-written by and starring "SNL" regular (and brilliant loony) Kristin Wiig, "Bridesmaids" has been touted as "The Hangover", but with girls - a comparison that seems a little unfair. Sure, it centers around an impending wedding, often works blue and has a couple of hilarious gross-out scenes, but it's more than a vehicle for shock humor. "Bridesmaids" doesn't try and recreate a man's comedy with women trying to out-do the guys on their turf. It's a comedy told from the female perspective, which is more human and relatable than Hollywood has led audiences to think. Surprise! Women can be just as weird, gross, insane and quote-worthy as the guys.

Wiig plays Annie, a woman who has recently lost her boyfriend and her bakery business, and is now worried she's about to lose her newly-engaged best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) to marriage. But when Lillian asks her to be her Maid of Honor, Annie is determined to help her childhood friend have the wedding of her dreams.

As if the stress of the wedding preparations weren't enough, Annie's about to lose her job, get kicked out of her apartment by her roommates (Matt Lucas and Rebel Wilson) and be forced to move in with her loopy mother (Jill Clayburgh). Not to mention being in a dead-end, sex-only relationship with Ted (played with sleazy glee by Jon Hamm). About to hit rock-bottom, Annie's whole sense of self-worth is wrapped up in being the perfect Maid of Honor.

But, of course, that's easier said than done, as Annie is saddled with a random group of bridesmaids as different (and uniquely hilarious) as they can be - Rita, the blowsy married mom who can't wait to get out of the house (Wendi McLendon-Covey of "Reno 911!"); Becca, the shy newlywed with a Disney obsession (Ellie Kemper of "The Office"); and Megan (Melissa McCarthy of "Mike & Molly"), the straight-shooting sister of the groom. Rounding out the bunch is a rival for wedding supremacy: Lillian's "new" friend, the impossibly perfect Helen (Rose Byrne) - kind of a country club Barbie, complete with sparkly gowns, perfect hair and impeccable accessories. Helen seems bound and determined to take Maid of Honor at any cost.

Annie and Helen's game of one-upsmanship results in a series of spectacular disasters, made wonderfully uncomfortable and ridiculous by this insanely talented ensemble. As Annie, Wiig definitely owns the movie (if you don't lose it when Wiig gets in a shouting match with a 13-year old girl, there's something seriously wrong with you), but the film is nearly stolen by McCarthy. Megan, deemed the "weird" character (a la Zach Galifianakis in "The Hangover") is actually the most together, most confident and certainly most outspoken character of the group. And holy lord, if she sees something she likes, she goes for it.

While the film packs in the gags, it also has a sweet side. (Wait, don't leave.) Helmed by veteran TV comedy director Paul Feig ("Arrested Development", "Freaks and Geeks"), "Bridesmaids" is able to tread the line between the salty and the sentimental. Unlike most female friendships portrayed in movies, Annie and Lillian have that unselfconscious, natural ease and close bond that can only have been forged in the awkward 'tween years, singing Wilson Phillips songs into hairbrushes. The scenes between Wiig and Rudolph are maybe as close as movies have come (outside a Nicole Holofcener film) to approximating how women friends really talk to each other. Some sweet moments are added in Annie's budding relationship with Officer Rhodes, a State Patrol officer with puppy-dog eyes and and Irish brogue (played by the adorable Chris O'Dowd of "The IT Crowd"). And if you need a little more sweetness, well, there are some actual puppies wearing pink berets for good measure.

Though I'm removing a star for some sloppy plotting and loose ends, "Bridesmaids" is certainly the best comedy this year - maybe in the last couple of years - whether or not you have a uterus. My male screening companion texted me for days after we saw the film with "I'm still laughing." And so am I.